No, Seriously Harry Potter Sucks.
Some of ya'll were confused with my Harry Potter statement. I think ya'll thought that my full reason for making the statement was to get your attention. Part of my intention was to get your attention but I also fully believe Harry Potter sucks. Its hard for me to buy into an author that produces 400+ page books every few years. I think people are buying them out of sheer curiousity about what is going to happen next rather than to read a well written book that has symbolism, hidden meanings, and other literary devices that usually make good books, well, good books. I think Harry Potter is so popular for the same reasons that soap operas are still on tv today. Everyone will agree that soap operas are not quality tv at any means, but however people are drawn into the storylines and their own curiousity as to what will happen next. I don't watch soap operas and therefore I most likely will not ever read a Harry Potter book. I'm sure I'm missing out on something. And also I will admit right here that my reasoning behind the quality of these books is very weak and I have no evidence to back it up because I have not read one page of any of them. However, based on what people discuss about the books I haven't heard any sort of statements that give any insight refering to symbolism or depth in the books. All I hear from avid readers is the question, "What do you think is going to happen next?" or "Who is going to die in the next one?". I have never heard from anyone asking, "Do you think Harry's quest to find the hidden pink panther is a reference to Napoleon's quest to take over Europe?" I'm going out of town for a week because I'm scared that my friends after reading this blog will hunt me down and turn me into a frog with their magic twigs while using invisible cloaks to sneak up on me... so there most likey won't be any journal entries for while. I'm sure there will be some comments about this blog. I think Caitlin will be the first to comment followed by Maggie, then Caitlin will respond to Maggies comment in which Maggie will respond back. Its hard to say if Spencer will comment but I believe he will because Spencer is usually bored during the day. Later guys.
posted by Brian @ 8:24 AM
7 Comments:
Ha...i get to be first. That's what you get for betting on Caitlin...(no offense, caitlin; please don't hate me.) Hey, we have had some very deep Harry Potter symbolism discussion. It's all about the good vs. evil motif. Then Harry gets to be a Christ figure, which ultimately would call for his death in the next book, right? But then what about Dumbledore? Perhaps he's the Christ figure and Harry is more like Peter? Who knows? But certainly not you, Mr. Cobb, b/c you've never read the books!!! So there!!
Brian is dead to me.
Come on spencer! Good vs. evil? Comparison to Christ? Probably the two oldest and overused themes symbols in literature and any other artistic work. There is a good and an evil in every story ever written (its in the Bible too). This adds to my argument that the author is lacking in creativity and originality. I will admit though that evidently she is a very good plot developer because of the fact so many people (sheep) have fallen for her stories and how they will proceed in the upcoming book(s). I can find a good vs. evil theme in Saved by the Bell:The College Years and probably find a somewhat decent argument on whether or not Zack Morris can be seen a Christ figure. And also, ouch Maggie that hurts.
Whoa, now! Ok, #1-using good vs. evil as a theme does not make an author lacking in originality--as you said, nearly every story ever told can be seen to have this theme because it is a UNIVERSAL theme that everyone can relate to.
#2- as you said, you really have no right to comment because you haven't read the books. If you read them and feel the same way, I will listen to your comments. Otherwise, PPPPBBBBLLLTTTT.
#3-there can be plenty of symbolism found in the HP books. You could even make the allusion that the DeathEaters could easily be seen as Nazis--their hatred of Muggles and Mudbloods and elevation of "purebloods" could be seen as another effort at ethnic cleansing and creating the ideal Aryan race, if you want to take it so far. You can probably find plenty of WWII parallels. As for Dumbledore's death, it's a classic element of a quest story, where the hero ultimately has to go it alone without his mentor. I think you might find surprising depth in these stories, not to mention the skill with which Rowling creates characters which her readers care DEEPLY about. If you don't believe that such a deep connection can be forged to fictional characters, just ask Maggie. If she will talk to you, that is. Which she probably won't, since you're dead to her and she's not a big fan of ghosts. BTW, Mags, I fully support Brian's being dead to you. And I can only hope that one day he will see the light and decide to actually learn about a topic before commenting.
Brian, I like you, kid. Way to be. I fully support you. Spencer, Mags, and Caitlin are crazy. They wouldn't know a good book if it him them in the head. :)
Jen wanted to comment, but she doesn't have a blog ID, so she asked me to post for her. She says, "Brian, the books are symbolic of the mounting political and ethnic
tensions in Europe at the start of WWII. They're just as complex in
plotting and symbolism as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy or even Star
Wars. They revitalize the conventions of the epic which are vital to
the roots of nearly all Western literature . . . the quest story, the
presence of a "best friend" figure, the search for identity, the
tragic or flawed hero, etc. It was good enough for Beowulf, Gilgamesh,
and Odysseus, and since I spend most of my days pulling teeth to get
kids interested in that stuff, if they do it on their own with Harry
Potter, and it makes it easier for them to understand the fundamental
characteristics of literature, then I'm happy. . . because it does all
of that without dumbing it down.
They're also laden with significant allusions to Greek and Roman
mythology. I'm intending to assign them as supplemental reading to my
English I class when we do mythology and to my English IV when we
cover George Orwell and "Animal Farm."
I can assure these are well-written, significant pieces of
literature. Don't be that guy who snubs something only because it's
popular, and don't try to give Caitlin a stroke, because then she
calls me and I have a stroke."
so there.
wow! thanks danny. who has evidently changed in appearance so much that he looks like alaska. i'm glad you wholeheatedly agree. sorry jen about causing you a stroke and possibly caitlin a stroke too. and i'm sorry to maggie for believing i am dead to her. but i still don't to buy in to this hype. and i didnt mean to hint at me being a person that swims against the mainstream by calling people sheep. i'm not like that. i was just refering back to the good ole days at shc when we called kate knudson a sheep. all i can say is that i am writing on a blog site write now that shows that i too follow the masses and can be considered a sheep myself. i will touch on all of your comments very soon. i cant at this moment.
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